Van Hollen Asks Blanche if He Knows Lying to Congress Is a Crime The Record Has His Answer

Senate budget hearings rarely end with the words you just heard. A senator looking at the top lawyer of the United States and asking him if he knows that lying to Congress is a crime. That is not a routine question. That is the kind of question a senator asks when they think the answers they have been getting are not the truth. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland spent five minutes walking Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche through two subjects — the anti-weaponization fund and the Epstein case. By the end, Blanche had pushed back hard on nearly everything Van Hollen raised. He called one of Van Hollen's statements false. He told the senator that whoever gave him information about Epstein survivors had given him bad information. He said the comparison Van Hollen called deceptive was not a big difference at all. On the fund: Van Hollen asked whether people who assaulted Capitol Hill police officers would be eligible to receive money. Blanche said anyone in the country can apply if they believe they were a victim of a crime. Van Hollen pressed for rules that would bar violent offenders. Blanche said the commissioners would handle that. Van Hollen pointed out that Blanche was appointing all five of those commissioners. Then the Keepsagle comparison. Blanche had cited that case to defend the fund's structure. Van Hollen drew the distinction Blanche had not addressed — in Keepsagle, a federal judge approved the settlement. No federal judge has approved this fund. Blanche said it was not a big difference. Van Hollen called the comparison incredibly deceptive. On Epstein: Van Hollen said the survivors' representatives had told him directly they had not been able to meet with Blanche. Blanche said that was false. He said he had met with many lawyers for the survivors. Van Hollen said the representatives told him directly otherwise. Two versions of the same fact. Both in the record. Neither verifiable by the hearing itself. Then Van Hollen asked the one question that produced a direct, clean commitment — would the Justice Department recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell? Blanche said of course not. And then came the final question. Do you know that it is a criminal offense to lie to Congress? I am very well aware of that. I'm glad to hear that. The transcript now contains every question Van Hollen asked. It contains Blanche's characterization of the survivor meeting account as false. It contains the disagreement on the Keepsagle comparison. It contains the Maxwell commitment. And it contains Blanche's acknowledgement, on the official record of a Senate hearing, that he is very well aware that lying to Congress is a criminal offense. Was Van Hollen issuing a serious warning — or landing one final political hit? Was Blanche delivering accurate corrections — or calling a senator's account false in a way the record itself cannot verify? Two different stories. Same hearing. Same official record. Tell us in the comments which version you walked away believing. 🔔 Subscribe — the record doesn't expire. And neither does the question. ⚠️ Disclaimer: This video provides commentary and analysis for educational and informational purposes. All content is based on publicly available congressional testimony. We encourage viewers to research independently and form their own conclusions. #toddblanche #chrisvanhollen #LyingToCongress #epsteinfiles #DOJ #AntiWeaponizationFund #GhislaineMaxwell #AttorneyGeneral #SenateHearing #January6